Tag: 30 minute din

Main

Shiitake Wonton Soup

His Bite, Her Bite2 Comments

Nora: I am in love with this soup! I fully admit it is not authentic in any way but it is really, really yummy. Making the wontons isn’t a terrible ordeal; we often make this on weeknights and assemble dumplings while we talk about our day.

Josh: This soup is everything I want when I dine out, everything I wish was a vegan option at any restaurant. It is so light and flavorful, and homemade wonton really sells it. So delicious, so refreshing, and such great leftovers. Also, other than the time it takes to wrap the wontons, this is a really fast and simple recipe to make. It takes very little time and relatively little effort to put this soup together, and it packs a wallop in taste.

Shiitake Wonton Soup
Serves: 4-6
Time: 30 minutes prep, 10 minutes cook
Slightly adapted from:
Ingredients:
Wontons:
-1 pack (approx 40) vegan wonton, gyoza, potsticker, dumpling wrappers (check ingredients carefully!)
-5oz shitake mushrooms, washed and chopped small
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 tsp dried ginger
-1 green onion (white and green parts), minced
-1/2 tsp sesame oil
-1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Soup:
-1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
-1 tsp sesame oil
-1 tsp dried ginger
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-10 cups veggie broth (not-chicken flavor is best)
-4 cups (1 small head) napa cabbage, cut cross-wise into strips
-2 tbsp rice vinegar

-2 more green onions, for serving
Directions:
For the dumplings:
1. Chop garlic, shiitake mushrooms and green onions. Mix with all other wonton filling ingredients.
2. Fill wrappers with about 1 tsp mushroom mix. Dip your finger in a small amount of water and run around the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and seal the edges together, pressing any air pockets out. Press the two folded “corners” of the half moon together, overlapping slightly.
(You can make the wontons a day or two ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container with a well-wrung wet paper towel on top.)

For the soup:
1. Heat a large pot over medium-high. Heat oil until it shimmers. Add garlic and ginger, saute until fragrant.
2. Pour in broth, bring to boil. Cook wontons for 5 minutes or until they all float.
3. Remove from heat, add the cabbage and vinegar. Serve, topped with green onions.

Closing Arguments
Nora: Super-slurpy deliciousness!
Josh: An excuse to eat wonton soup? Yes, please.
Main

Gnocchi Primavera

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Nora: I love this recipe because it is so easy and it only uses one pot and the blender… oh and it’s delicious! The leftovers are also excellent for several days after. Feel free to try any blend of quick-cooking veggies. I bet zucchini or asparagus would be great in this dish! Just add them in while cooking the mushrooms.

Josh: This is the ultimate weeknight dinner. The ingredient list is modest, the prep work is easy, and the whole thing comes together quickly! Then when you think about how rich and creamy it is, comfort for your tum, and how absolutely delicious it is… well, there are just so many reasons why this is an ideal dinner. It’s the kind of meal that tastes like you slaved over it for hours even though it took you mere minutes. Most importantly: gnocchi. Mmmm.

Gnocchi Primavera
Makes: dinner for 4, or dinner and lunch for 2
Cook Time: 20 min
Omnivore Index: Creamy and indulgent, nobody is going to assume it is dairy free.
Ingredients

-1 package gnocchi
-2 roma tomatoes, diced
-bunch of spinach (4 handfuls work well)
-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
-15 oz can great northern beans, drained
-oil, for caramelizing mushrooms

Sauce:
-1 cup nondairy milk
-1/2 cup (2.25-2.5 oz) raw cashews
-2-3 cloves garlic
-2 tsp miso
-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
-1 tsp tapioca starch/flour
-1 tsp salt
-cracked black pepper, to taste

-green onions for garnish

Instructions
1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
2. While gnocchi is cooking, throw sauce ingredients into a high-speed blender and run for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. (If you do not have a high-speed blender, quick-soak your cashews by putting them in a small pot of water, bring to boil for five minutes, let sit covered 30 minutes or as long as your patience will allow before draining. Or soak overnight in the fridge.)
3. Put spinach in your colander and drain the gnocchi on top of it. Return pot to the stove with a bit of oil over medium heat.
4. Saute mushrooms until they release juices and those juices evaporate. Add everything into the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens.

Closing Arguments
Nora: gnocchi = dumplings = good
Josh: Did we mention this is a great excuse to eat gnocchi?
Loaded Junk Food · Main

Taco Supreme Mac n Cheeze

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I spent most of my adult life without mac and cheese. It was something I distantly remembered eating as a kid but the memories were as faint and foggy as everything else from the first decade of my life. I had not found enjoyable substitutes in my early vegan years and then stopped looking for it, stopped thinking about it. Just didn’t seem like a feasible ask, to have creamy, indulgent mac and cheese totally suffering-free.

I was, as I have often been in my life when I found certainty, mistaken.

The first time we made this mac and cheeze recipe was a game changer. It was so perfect and also unthinkably easy. We did it with bbq shreddies then (Morningstar farms pulled pork or shredded jackfruit, if you want to try). Then we were in London, Ontario and tried vegan fast food from Globally Local. They had “Supreme Style Loaded Fries” that were cheeze and taco meat on fries. We decided to adapt it onto loaded mac and cheeze. Now it is my favorite meal to eat. Yumm.

Taco Supreme Mac and Cheeze
Serves: 4, or 2 people for two meals
Omnivore Index: There is nothing vegan about this creamy, taco supreme bundle of joy
Ingredients

-16 oz pasta shape of choice
-1/4 cup nondairy butter
-1/4 cup flour

Cheeze Sauce
-4.5 oz (1 cup) raw cashews, soaked in water overnight then drained
-1/4 cup nutritional yeast
-3 cups plain nondairy milk
-2-3 cloves garlic
-1 tbsp white miso
-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
-2 tsp dry mustard
-1/2 tsp turmeric
-2 tsp salt

Taco Meat
-8-10 oz meatless crumbles
-1 tbsp chili powder
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp cumin
-1/4 tsp cayenne
-1/2 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 – 1/2 cup water
-1 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-freshly cracked black pepper (like… ten cranks)

Recipe

-Cook and drain pasta according to normal package instructions
-Combine all Cheeze Sauce ingredients in high speed blender and blend for at least a full minute or until smooth
-Thaw crumbles
-Combine crumbles with all Taco seasoning ingredients, microwave until hot 2-3 minutes
-In a medium pot, melt butter
-Add flour, cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes or until slightly golden
-Whisk in Cheeze Sauce, cook and stir over medium heat (5-7 minutes)
-Mix Cheeze Sauce into pasta
-Top with preferred fixings and enjoy (we go for diced tomato, shredded lettuce, and a dollop of plain nondairy yogurt)
Notes

We use Silk plain protein nut milk
We use Earth Balance butter
We use Silk plain yogurt
We use Simple Truth brand meatless crumbles (found at Kroger in our area) but Gardein would be second choice
In these pictures, we had Spinach instead of romaine
Closing Arguments
I swear, this goes on the dinner list every other week because I always want it.

Alternative idea for Loaded Mac n Cheez:

Chicken Parmesan Mac n Cheez

-same mac n cheez recipe, but instead of taco supreme it is served with vegan chicken patty (Simple Truth brand in this case) with vegan cheez broiled on top

Main

Kale and Gnocchi Soup

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Nora: Dumplings (gnocchi are dumplings, I say), cooked carrots, broth… plus it cooks in 30 minutes. I love a simple soup where you don’t have to pull out the whole spice rack to end up with a delicious meal at the end.

Josh: We had this soup for the first time when my sister and her partner were having us over for dinner. They did it without meat on account of us and served it with bread. It was delicious. We were practically starving at the time though, so we wondered if it would be as good under normal circumstances. I won’t keep you in suspense: it is.

We made a few minor changes before adding it to our repertoire and are very pleased with it. Every time we make it, we verbally remind each other, “Mm, this is good soup.” Good for cold weather, having company over, or just for the love of soup. Cheap to shop for, easy to assemble, and quick to cook. Great, pain-free dinner for when you don’t have much time to cook or don’t want to spend much time to cook.

Kale and Gnocchi Soup
Makes: Dinner for two, lunch leftovers for two (or dinner for four)
Adapted from: budgetbytes
Time: 5 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook
Omnivore Index: People will see this soup doesn’t contain meat but when they try it they won’t miss it.
Ingredients

1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced (or about 10 baby carrots)
A bunch of kale, de-stemmed (we added about two soup bowls’ worth this time)
5 cups chicken-ish broth
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp basil
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
20 cranks cracked black pepper
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 lb gnocchi
1/2 cup milk
Directions

-Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add carrots and cook another 3-5 minutes.
-While those cook, pull kale leaves off the thick stems and slice or shred into smaller leaves. Wash.
-Add kale to pot and cook another 3-5 minutes.
-Add broth, spices, pepper, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil.
-Add gnocchi and cook for 3-5 minutes.
-Remove from heat and add milk.
Notes:

-For nondairy milk, we use Silk Protein Nut Milk (plain flavor).
-For broth, we use Better than Bouillon No Chicken base.
-Chickpeas are one of our all-time favorite protein sources when we cook. Way cheaper than buying faux meats, easy to add to a recipe that is lacking for protein, and hearty enough not to mush when you cook them.
-If you really hate kale you could try usimg spinach, just add it in after you finish cooking the gnocchi.
Closing Arguments
Nora: Super good for cold nights but light enough that you don’t have to give it up in the summer.
Josh: If you’re like me, you’ll use every opportunity to eat gnocchi. Mmmm.